The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1887-02-03

taiion, in the year 46 Paul was
prosecuting his first missionary
journey, and in that year at Lystra
he was stoned, dragged out of the
city and left for dead.
Now in writing of his being
caught up INTO heaven he tells of
his unconsciousness of his body. 81
knew man IN Christ above four
teen years ago, (whetber in the
body. cannot tell or whether out
of the body, can not tell God
knowcth !. )such q one caught up
to the third heaven" II there was
absolute certainty as to The time
already mentioned, and contempor-
aneous events, we might regard
Paul as describing an experlenc ce
Immediately subsequent to his be-
ing stoned at Ly-tra, when as it
was supposed that he was dead, and
as a compensation for his terrible
afill ction and suffering God took his
soul up to heaven for . period.
But if another date must be &c
cepted as that of the writing to the
Corinthians, 81 or 5S A. D., then
fourteen years before takes us either
to IS or A just about the time
when Paul was called to enter up
on bis public work with Barnabas
of preaching to tic GentiJes.
Such gin experience then as he
here describes of his being caught
up into heaven, into the midst of
the new glory of God, and hearing
unspeakable words was most valu>
able to him as encouragement, and
Inspiration to bcpefulness when h e
should be prosecuting his Mas ter's
work surrounded by enemies and
exposed to many perils. 1t
was supplementary to his prepara :
tion as an APOSTLE during the three
years he spent in sec!usion just af-
Ter his conversio
The important fact was Ike ecas
taksn s:9 into hsaveas, to the third
heaven ; as much the SAME as the
seventh heaven Of the Jews, mean
ing keaus'; IN reality, the spiritual
heaven wheresthe presence OF God
Is more brightly manifested, even
into Paradise "where the world Of
spirits has its most delightful and
most perfeet< development" He
scas tssefs es5 beyond anything ma
terial "to the third heaven" past
the heaven of our atmosphere, past
The hetven of the stars into the
heaven of thasspIrils. 1t was more
than an opening of the heavens. such
as he saw when he was converted.
1t was not bright light shining
into his soul, or the hearing Of beau
tiful sounds as is said to be expert
enced by persons when in an &C.
static state. Paul says that he was
caught m9. CA9bogxia) The
word Paul uses to express the ac-
tion in his being taken up descr.b-
es external, sudden involuntary car
rying throug gh space. 1t is word
which would describe the action of
warrior. in carrying off a prisoner ;
or beast of prey, as a lion in car
Tying IFS victim; and then 1t may
be used in ether relations to ex-
press the action OF one in carrying q
friend to a place of security. III
10Th places he uses the same woyd,
translated into our strong English
terms, caught up" and by which
Paul would show:
l. That he was suddenly seized
upon
2 And borne through space from
one place to another.
8. And, that, by power outside
Of himself.
He was conscious of thus being
seized upon and carried up, and
brought into the midst of sights and
sounds such az he had never had
of before.
He was brought into the wonderful
the glorious reality ef heaven, that
blessed state of Gods brightest
presence. andsin which spirits have
their highest and most perfect de-
velop pment:: OF his realization of
life in Paradise, Paul says, "that he
heard unspeakable words. which it
is not lawful for man to utter.n
Speech Is the true outfowing of the
spirit. With sight we invariably
associate substance and FORM
Speech more than vision influences
US. Listening to one who by the
power of eloquence is capable of
us We lose sight OF the man
as he appears to us bodily in ad-
miration of the thought expressed
IN golden words Paul in heaven
was most intensely affected by what |
be heard of ''unspeakablc words,'
words (which it was not lawful for |
4 man to UTTER IL. heard the |
of heaven. unspeakable
BY human lips, surprising the rich
ness of human speech to convey,
words which it would not be right